October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, a dedicated time to focus on understanding, supporting, and advocating for individuals with dyslexia. At Portage Psychology, we work closely with children, teens, adults, and families to navigate learning differences. We believe that demystifying dyslexia is the first step toward unlocking every individual’s full potential. Whether you are a parent wondering about early signs, an adult seeking clarity about long-standing challenges, or an

For many adults, reading and writing difficulties are framed as childhood challenges. However, dyslexia is a lifelong neurobiological condition. Thousands of adults navigate higher education and the workforce every day without realizing that the invisible friction they experience—sluggish reading speed, fatigue during high-volume paperwork, or persistent spelling anxiety—has a specific, addressable name. At Portage Psychology, we frequently evaluate adults who spent years dev

When a bright, creative child struggles to read, write, or spell, it can be puzzling and heartbreaking for parents. At Portage Psychology, we frequently meet families navigating the uncertainty of learning differences. All too often, their stress is magnified by not fully understanding what dyslexia is or hearing persistent myths surrounding dyslexia. This blog is meant to help understand what dyslexia is and common misconceptions about the most prevalent learning disorder.

In the state of Minnesota less than half of students read at the expected levels. Understanding early signs of dyslexia can get your child support they need and actually rewire their brain's reading pathways.

If you have spent any time on TikTok or Instagram recently, your feed has likely served you short-form videos highlighting symptoms of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or anxiety. Clips with captions like "5 subtle signs you actually have ADHD" or "If you do this, you might be on the spectrum" garner billions of views combined. On one hand, this explosion of online mental health content has reduced stigma and helped thousands of people feel seen. On the other hand, the s

Attention and memory can be impacted by multiple factors. Sleep is more than just a period of rest. Sleep is critical to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development in children and adolescents.

Deciding to pursue an evaluation for yourself or your child is a significant step toward getting the right support. It is completely normal to feel a mix of anticipation and a little bit of nervousness about what the actual "testing day" will look like. At Portage Psychology, we view this process as a collaborative partnership. To help you feel fully prepared, we’ve broken down exactly what to expect, how to prepare, and how we work together to ensure the best possible result

Why is summer a good time to complete a psycho-educational or psychological evaluation? You have flexible scheduling options. You have time to prepare for meeting with the school in the fall AND the school has time to review and implement the recommendations.

If you’ve noticed your child struggling to keep up with reading or spelling, you might have heard the word "dyslexia" tossed around. For many parents, this term can feel like a heavy label, but it is actually a vital key to unlocking the right support. To truly understand what your child is experiencing, it helps to look at two "gold standard" definitions that experts use today: the DSM-5 (the clinical manual used by doctors) and the International Dyslexia Association (IDA)

When a student has both ADHD and anxiety, the combination can be especially hard. Many people think ADHD is just about attention. It’s not. ADHD affects executive functioning — the brain’s management system. Executive functions help us start tasks, stay organized, use working memory, shift between ideas, control impulses, and monitor our behavior. You can think of executive functioning as the brain’s air traffic control system. When it works well, everything runs smoothly. W

Psycho-Educational vs Psychological vs Neuropsychological Evaluations. What does your child need?

You waited weeks for the school to evaluate your child. You sat in the meeting, listened to the school psychologist read through the test scores, and felt... unsettled. Maybe the results didn't match what you see at home. Maybe they said your child "doesn't qualify" for support, but you know they are struggling. Or perhaps they only tested for reading when you specifically asked about attention issues.

Sometimes a parent will say something to me along the lines of, “I know you say that ‘Kids do well when they can,’ and ‘He’s having a...

As a psychologist who works with children, I am often asked by parents what to do when a child is being rude, demonstrating aggressive...

From time to time, parents ask me about what to do when they have gotten into a power struggle with their child. For example, when they...

As a psychologist, parents often ask me what they can do to help their child who has been recently diagnosed with a learning disorder or...

Navigating the tightrope of parenting becomes even more of a high-wire act when children become teenagers. It’s appropriate for parents...

Sometimes things get really hard. Especially as a parent, especially in a global pandemic and its aftermath. This is especially true for...

Parents often ask me what they can do at home to bring peace to the household when parenting a child who has a tendency to argue, talk...

One question I often get from parents, especially those who are parenting a child with ADHD, is about whether to continue with a...